You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
My ebay crees failed on me last night after about 5 years of use so I need to replace. There are 100s to choose from on ebay so just wondering what recommendations folk have.
Thank all.
On my third season of using two of these, one on the bars one on my helmet:
http://kaidomain.com/Bike-Lights/KD-2-x-Cree-XM-L2-U2-4-10-Mode-2200-Lumens-Bike-Light
The one on the bars has started rattling but still works. Buy as lamp only (not kit) and then buy their better battery packs too. 4 cell in frame and 2 cell on helmet
MTB batteries Luminator at the moment - but considering going Exposure. As one gets older, one's night vision gets considerably worse- I seem to need max lumens ...
My combo is a Four4th Genesis helmet light that I’ve had for the past 10 years and a Four4th Holy Moses on the bars. Considering the little Genesis is 10 years old now I’m still amazed by how well it performs.
Almost looking forward to winter so I can use my See.Sense Beam+ in anger.
My combo is a Four4th Genesis helmet light that I’ve had for the past 10 years and a Four4th Holy Moses on the bars. Considering the little Genesis is 10 years old now I’m still amazed by how well it performs.
That is the second time Four4ths have come up in my discussion. What puts me off the Holy Moses ( compared to Exposure) is having to plug it into a battery pack.
What puts be off Exposure is having a thing the size of a mushy pea can on my bars. Lets face it, one crash and they will be fubared ..
Still using a set of Lumicycle LEDs on the bars, around ten years old now I think, and an older Joystick on my helmet. Also have a Diablo as a back-up for both. I kind of hate the disposability of most eBay lights, though I also get that good quality branded lights are expensive. I see it as an investment in my winter riding and based on cost per year, a pretty good one.
Lets face it, one crash and they will be fubared ..
I dunno. Has anyone here crashed an exposure bar light to death?
Exposure Toro on the bars and an Exposure Diablo on the lid all the way. Work flawlessly, no faffing with cables breaking like the numerous magicshines and solar storms I had previously. Excellent back up from Exposure when the batteries start to loose charge. Don't have that nagging feeling the thing is going to set on fire whilst it's charging either...
Exposure MaxxD on the bars, Joystick on the lid. Both purchased in 2009/10 and still going strong, although undoubtedly not as bright as the current versions.
I've just added the Trace / TraceR lights to the front and rear to make me even more visible to other road users.
Six Pack on the bars, Joy Stick on the helmet over here. Am quite crashy and while I've bust a bar mount the light is pretty solid.
using one of these for off road
with a Hope quick release rather than the o ring attachment. the QR moves i slightly further forward too so you don't blind yourself when climbing out of the saddle!
it's not 10,000 lumen. it's one torchy reviewed.
2371 lumen measured. decent spread, lights up down the canal path far enough too.
it replaced my old cutter home made 1000 lumen helmet spot and bikehut 1600 bar light combo.
brighter than that combo and very usable.
still using the bikehut 1600 on 'commute' rides. it's bright enough, has a lot of modes, but has a relatively fragile micro USB charge port that you need to file down the charge cable 'grab' pins so it doesn't pull the socket off the PCB.
I've not felt the need to buy anything after getting a joystick and diablo.
Really love being able to " dip" them as they rotate easily on the bars and don't blind cyclists coming towards me.
Fourth or fifth winter now for Lifeline Pavo 2000 on bars and third winter for a my secondhand Fluxient U2 mini (single 18650) torch in a Lezyne helmet mount. Think they cost a total of £100 so good value being had.
Exposure diablo mk12, with the little battery pack.
Exposure MaxxD on the bars, Joystick on the lid. Both purchased in 2009/10 and still going strong, although undoubtedly not as bright as the current versions.
Good to know as favoured choice at the moment ...
Six Pack on the bars, Joy Stick on the helmet over here. Am quite crashy and while I’ve bust a bar mount the light is pretty solid.
The Six Pack looks huge - does it feel like that in real life? And you chose it over a D-Maxx for any reason?
Exposure Toro on the bars and an Exposure Joystick on helmet. Never had any issues, this will be the 3rd winter and they work a treat.
MaxxD / Diablo might be better but really depends what your riding, I only really ride local trails that I know quite well so feel I the Toro / Joystick combo is good enough.
Six-pack on bars and Diablo on the helmet - both 2-3 years old so not current generation. Chosen after years of eBay SureFire specials, just for piece of mind. Can't ever imagine needing more light, generally allows me to ride at normal daylight speeds although YMMV if you're a quicker rider than me. Which is likely.
One of these on the rear
https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/LIPX3WROF/planet-x-3w-ignis-rear-helmet-and-bike-light
My Chinese special yinding is still going strong for front use
https://www.mtbr.com/threads/user-review-yinding-yd-2xu2-gemini-duo-clone.887497/
Both used daily in all weathers
What puts be off Exposure is having a thing the size of a mushy pea can on my bars. Lets face it, one crash and they will be fubared ..
Just mount them under the bars. Flip the mount and they work just the same but are completely out of the way.
I do this with all my exposure lights.
Magicshine 6500S
Pros:
Mega powerful 6500lms and a decent spread means I don't need a helmet light.
Massive battery - 10,000mAh 2hr plus running time on full power, if you knock it down when you don't need it all, it will easily outlast my legs.
USB-C charging means you can charge it really quickly, my little 15w Anker Nano charge will charge it in about 2/3 hours, instead of 8+ on a 5w USB A charger. If you really want to go mad I'm sure something like a 60w USB charger will be quicker still.
Decent mount, for years I messed around with Amazon generic cree lights, finding good power and even battery life wasn't hard, but getting a decent mount was near impossible. It's comes with a decent Garmin style one, so there's loads of cheap upgrades if you want it.
Cons:
Massive battery is external, and well massive. The battery is rubberised on one side and comes with decent velcro straps, but it wouldn't fit on every frame.
Cable is neither fish, nor fowl, it's too long to use with the battery mounted to the top tube, but too short to use it from a pack.
Possible serious con:
It might just be mine, but the batter has a removeable power cord, it's not the most secure and will occasionally pop out, especially when you first fit it, you really need to make sure it's snug in there and then don't touch it. If the cord is removed, or pops out when the light is on, the battery will effectively 'brick' itself, the only way to get it to power on again it by connecting it to power, just for a second so it reboots. It happened to me at Afan last night, luckily I had a USB A to USB C lead with me, I plugged it itself my car for a second and it was fine, if I didn't have that my night would be ruined, if it happened 5km from the car-park, I'd be screwed. I'm going to e-mail Magicshine about it.
The Evolva X8 version of this on my helmet
https://www.amazon.co.uk/soonfire-FD38S-Rechargeable-Waterproof-Disassembly/dp/B071DX232Z/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=soonfire&qid=1633618850&sr=8-5
And this on the bars
https://magicshineuk.com/product/magicshine-rn-3000/
Both are all-in-one units.
Magicshine 6500S
Pros:
Mega powerful 6500lms and a decent spread means I don't need a helmet light.
Massive battery - 10,000mAh 2hr plus running time on full power, if you knock it down when you don't need it all, it will easily outlast my legs.
USB-C charging means you can charge it really quickly, my little 15w Anker Nano charge will charge it in about 2/3 hours, instead of 8+ on a 5w USB A charger. If you really want to go mad I'm sure something like a 60w USB charger will be quicker still.
Decent mount, for years I messed around with Amazon generic cree lights, finding good power and even battery life wasn't hard, but getting a decent mount was near impossible. It's comes with a decent Garmin style one, so there's loads of cheap upgrades if you want it.
Cons:
Massive battery is external, and well massive. The battery is rubberised on one side and comes with decent velcro straps, but it wouldn't fit on every frame.
Single button control is a faf
Cable is neither fish, nor fowl, it's too long to use with the battery mounted to the top tube, but too short to use it from a pack.
Possible serious con:
It might just be mine, but the batter has a removeable power cord, it's not the most secure and will occasionally pop out, especially when you first fit it, you really need to make sure it's snug in there and then don't touch it. If the cord is removed, or pops out when the light is on, the battery will effectively 'brick' itself, the only way to get it to power on again it by connecting it to power, just for a second so it reboots. It happened to me at Afan last night, luckily I had a USB A to USB C lead with me, I plugged it itself my car for a second and it was fine, if I didn't have that my night would be ruined, if it happened 5km from the car-park, I'd be screwed. I'm going to e-mail Magicshine about it.
Maxx-D on the bars, Diablo on the head for the last couple of years. Pricey - but no wires and excellent back up!
There was a time, in the dim and murky past, when there were very few decent lights around. I'm talking just a handful of choices, which meant that everyone ran very similar lights. These days every brand does a large selection of very competent lights. I have more lights, of varying sizes and lumens, than I have ever owned before. What I'm really saying is that a 'what light' thread is almost completely pointless these days. It's a bit like asking what saddle - I can tell you that I use Brand A but it may not suit your backside, budget or the way you want to use them.
Anyway, I use a MaxxD on the bars and a little 1000lm L&M on the helmet on a proper MTB ride. On a light XC night ride I'll maybe just use the L&M, or a Lezyne 800lm. On a ride with little serious off-road, amybe on the gravel bike, I'll use the last two or maybe a little 350lm Giant light. As back up, or for shoving into a pack just in case, I'll use a tiny 100lm CatEye.
I don't think any of my riding group use the same lights....
Just mount them under the bars. Flip the mount and they work just the same but are completely out of the way.
I do this with all my exposure lights.
+1
I've got an Exposure race that is a few yrs old now but no complaints as it's dead reliable and a good blend of size, power and battery life
I got hacked off with random ebay lights and separate battery packs, wires and they didn't last
Maxx D on the bars / Axis on the helmet.
The Maxx D is epic - I run it in reflex mode so it goes to 4000 lumens when you’re flat out downhill then dips to very low light when you’re stationary.
The Axis is ok after a software update - but I’m a bit disappointed with battery life via the Moon Vortex I was using before.
If I had my time again I’d still get the Maxx D, but I think I’d try a fourth Scorch on the helmet.
Ah - I was waiting for the normal light thread to pop up!
Pondering dipping my toe back into night riding, what is the cheap light du jour?
Something from lightmalls?
I was running eBay lights on my bars and helmet, they worked well with decent output and battery life at a very good price however having a separate battery pack was very annoying. I'm now running a Halfords 1600 on the bars and Exposure Joystick on my helmet, the lights aren't hugely brighter than the eBay ones but have a better beam shape and are so much less hassle being all in one units. If it were money no object I'd get 6 pack bar light but whilst I could stomach price of the Joystick as there aren't many good alternatives (weight/battery life), I couldn't face £400 odd for the bar light when the Halfords one was £40 and is perfectly good.
bar - lumicycle
helmet - gloworm X2
commuter - gloworm CX
Maxx-D and Equinox (the latter no longer available).
Exposure six pack on the bars and a Diablo on the lid. I know exposure aren't the cheapest lights but they are absolutely superb. Let me put it another way, everyone I know who has bought exposure lights will now no longer use anything else. A six pack is overkill for most though and rarely goes on full power.
Six Pack and a Zenith. Did the first proper night ride of the autumn last night and apart from being fat and unfit, on the DH sections they are, as always, superb. Just ride them like you do in the day. Three hour loop and Zenith was getting toward the end of its battery but wasn’t being frugal with it so prefect for any kind of reasonable winter ride.
M8, just bought a six pack, & sold me his old Maxx D (joystick on my head), he only uses a bar mounted light, so wanted the best they sold. He’d bounced the maxx D off the floor, & exposure fixed/upgraded some electronics in it for £28 posted, that bloody good support. I’ve had loads of lights over the years & these are simply the best overall package, that I’ve come across. Self contained for the win
Exposure Diablo on the lid and a an old Magicshine on the bars, Want a 6 pack though as I find the separate battery a minor PITA, Plus I'd like a display for run time ect (Trying to justify spending the £££!)
I've just sold my Six-Pack and Diablo on ebay and bought a new Lumenator 20 and Lumen 800 from MTB batteries and pocketed the difference. When I was XC racing the Exposure lights made sense but as I rarely head out on a bike without some sort of bag on it external batteries are fine. The batteries can also be used on the both lights.
The Six-pack was also a massive lump on the bars and the diablo needed an external battery pack to provide any benefit.
I have one of these
https://www.chilli-tech.com/bike-lights/Cree-LED-Front-Bike-Light
With one of these on my head
https://www.mtbbatteries.co.uk/mountain-bike-lights/lumen800/
Hope r8+ on the bars, solarstorm on the helmet.
The hope is a beast of a light if you can get used to the crap way it cycles through the different modes.
Lupine piko on my helmet (battery goes in jersey pocket), lupine slf on my ebike or older torro on my other bike.
I prefer more power from my helmet light than my bar light.
Gloworm XS on the bars, Four Fourths Scorch on the lid - great combination though TBH the Scorch is probably enough on it'd own!
I have a six pack, it’s a few years old now, still works perfectly, i tend to use it on max power, flipping to min power. Rarely use any other modes. Haven’t seen anything better, they’re worth the initial outlay.
MTB - Exposure Revo on the bars, Diablo on the helmet.
Road - either Strada on bars with Link Plus on the helmet, or B&M Luxo 50 if on the commuter.
Six pack Mk2 sync on the bars, replacing the Pavo 2000 I ran last year, with a Diablo on the helmet.
Absolutely nothing wrong with the Pavo (Modified for a Go-Pro mount and using a Racewaredirect mount)but after so many lost miles in July/August due to injury, I wanted to be well prepared for winter, and the lack of battery level when doing 30 mile solo night and rides worried me.
The only downside to the Six Pack, is I now want my Diablo to be a sync model.
www.outboundlighting.com/collections/bike-light-packages/products/evo-downhill-package-evo-hangover
^get this. End of thread
I'm in for about £1200 with exposure stuff!!
I love the cable free design... and... I've crashed a load... the only thing you bust is the bar mount.
On a good day they'll just sent out another..
Helps they are just up the road!
DrP
The only downside to the Six Pack, is I now want my Diablo to be a sync model.
Different strokes for different folks. I have both in sync versions. Wished I'd saved a bit and got normal versions of both. I never got the remote(s) to be useful for me.
Also big exposure on the bars vs a Toro - very much depends on your riding for me. Toro is perfect for me on xc and "gravel". Great bit of kit. But on livelier stuff I really value the difference to 6-pack (although suspect Max-D would do me well).
Four4th have a wireless one as well that they just launched https://www.four4th.co.uk/collections/lights/products/gabriel. That said I prefer the Holy Moses with the battery under the bars.. you can choose the size and it takes seconds to fit.
I've been on exposures for about 12 years now. They are expensive up front, but if you do alot of night riding, the lack of external packs and messing about with accoutrements starts to stack up.
Repairs are totally viable and really reasonably priced too, including battery replacements, I guess because you've subsidised those costs up front at purchase; maybe.
Brightness of mtb lights is at a point now that I can no longer out-run my own vision so I've not felt the need to chase brightness for about 3 years.
I was out last night, Exposure Toro on the bars and cheap-as-chips 2-spot CREE on my head.
The Exposure is now in it'd 10th year but have noticed it's a bit lacking now compared to the CREE.
The CREE's I look on as 'consumables', and probably get 2-3 years out of them (and the battery), but have spares.
nickclift
Free Member^get this. End of thread
This. Got a Trail Evo and the light spread is far superior to my Exposure Maxx D. Does it blind anyone looking into it? No. Am I faster with it than the Exposure? Yes.
Oh, now those are interesting.
I ride pretty much exclusively at night in the winter. I eventually went for a MaxxD on the bars after dinging I could get it on cycle to work. It's been brilliant and a step above previous options going back about 25 years. I've a tired Exposure Joystick that's just been replaced by a Moon that takes (annoyingly) modified 198650 batteries. Id got it specifically because of 18650s - I have loads from a friend who gave me a bunch of old,lightly used Sony laptop batteries that turned out to contain some really high quality Sony cells.
If anyone has recommendations for 18650 flashlights that fit the Exposure helmet mount, I'm all ears!
I've been running a Gemini Titan for 6 winters now & after getting a new battery, it'll be more than adequate for a while yet.
I tried a Lezyne 500 lumen light on the helmet last year & this year replaced it with the 1000 lumen. Great light for not much money.
after dinging I could get it on cycle to work
This, I did not know!.
Exposure Maxx-d and Diablo here, messed with ebay cree's and their battery packs but wasn't happy, picked up the exposures last winter and they were great, cant wait to get out this winter with them.
So impressed with them, I've picked up some trace(r) for the road bike and will use the rear on the MTB.
Am keeping in using my gloworm x2 pair for offroad. Thankfully mark at mtb batteries fixed the switch on one of them.
Will use my ayup on my short commute as it is on a cycle path and well lit so don't need much light
I just got a Halfords 1000 to see if it has a better beam pattern than the 1600 which wastes too much light, IMO. It seems to, although I haven't ridden it yet, and it also seems to have the same size battery.
I have four Halfords light sizes and I am half tempted to fit them all to my bars at once.
@nobeerinthefridge - yep - it surprised me as well. It's Evans C2W, might not work on others but deffo worth checking
Wheres good for battery packs for magicshine type lights these days? Torchy still good? Any of the Chinese websites reputable-ish?
I've moved house and I can't find mine but the actual light units have turned up.
Dunno if torchy is still going, but smudge at MTBBatteries is.
@bentudder cheers, our C2W scheme only opens in March every year, I'll need to remember!
I'm about to stick a Magicshine 3500 in the classifieds if anyone's interested. Bought it in January. Tons of light and good burn time, but I think I'd prefer going back to all in one.
I’m about to stick a Magicshine 3500 in the classifieds
Interested...
Have pm'd you.